Business Development Manager

𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐌𝐍𝐂 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐮𝐩?

Both environments have benefits and drawbacks. It really depends on your personality and goals. In a large corporation, you’ll be surrounded by people with a wide variety of working styles, expertise, approaches and backgrounds. You’ll have access to more resources and responsibility will be shared with other team members. You will have opportunities available to you, but you’ll likely have to pursue them yourself unless you have a really good manager supporting you. Otherwise, it can be easy to become a cog in the machine. The pressure is generally lower and so is the recognition. You can screw up royally and you’ll probably just get moved to another project. Even if you don’t screw up, you may find yourself shuffled between projects. In a startup, there will be more focus on you to deliver, train yourself and be independent. While you’ll likely be part of a smaller, more integrated team, there will be a much higher expectation that you can be self-motivated and deliver results. The learning opportunities that you have will be more along the lines of being tossed out of a plane with some fabric and a sewing kit and you’ll need to figure out how to make a parachute really quickly. The risks are higher, but so is the reward. It’s like the difference between taking the bus or riding a motorcycle. The bus is reliable and it will get you where you’re going, you have very little control over the specific bus, route, the driver, the other passengers, etc. You’re unlikely to get injured in a crash. It’s safe, minimal risk and ultimately putting your fate in someone else’s hands. The motorcycle is fast, you’re in control every step of the way, you could easily get yourself killed if you do something stupid and if the weather, roads or other drivers get in your way, you’re not likely to get to your destination smoothly. But if you do, you’ll beat

optimise for outsized returns :)

after college, i had two offers - one from a top consulting firm with a great salary, prestige, and all the perks. the other was from a startup. and while the startup didn’t pay peanuts, it didn’t come with the polished career path and stability that consulting offered. most people around me thought it was a no-brainer: take the consulting job. secure, predictable, and impressive on a resume. but something about the startup felt more real. it wasn’t about rejecting corporate life; it was more about thinking, *if i’m going to take risks, why not now?* so, i took the leap and joined the startup. was it easy? no. there were days i questioned my decision. consulting was stable and structured, with a clear path ahead. startups? they’re chaotic. one day i was strategizing with the team, the next i was firefighting some random problem. but that’s what made it exciting. i wasn’t just another cog in a big machine—i was helping build something from scratch. sure, there were moments i missed the comfort my friends had in consulting. they were climbing the ladder, enjoying business-class flights, and working with high-profile clients. but the trade-off? in a startup, i was growing faster than i ever expected. i learned to take ownership, handle chaos, and make decisions with real impact. it wasn’t about doing the job—i was figuring out *how* to do the job. looking back, i wouldn’t change a thing. yes, consulting would’ve been the safe option, but here’s the truth: **linear bets get you linear results**. it’s predictable, comfortable, and you know what you’re signing up for. but if you want *outsized returns*—not just financially, but in how much you grow, how quickly you learn, and how big your impact can be—you have to bet on the uncertain. that’s the beauty of taking risks early in your career. you might fail, but the upside is massive. you learn more, you grow faster, and you open doors that would never exist in a linear path. so, if you’re starting out, don’t just optimize for safety. **bet on outsized returns**. they’re harder to chase, but far more rewarding.

Big 4 exit plan - my strategy

After 5 years at Deloitte, I knew I had to plan my exit. Toxic team, crazy work hours while life seemed to be passing me by... I switched to a SaaS startup. I've been getting a lot of Qs as to how so I thought I'd share this here: - Joined SaaS communities and showed up in every meetup. Went on a LOOOOT of coffee chats. - Spoke to a lot of people to understand how things work in SaaS, what kind of roles are available, what skills are needed, what the pay is like, etc. Zeroed in on AE roles to match my pay and consultative skills. - Slowly started getting job referrals. At first, I wasn’t able to crack interviews. But after the first few interviews, I understood the kind of questions they ask, what they expect, etc. - showcased transferable skills from consulting (e.g., stakeholder management, client-facing skills, problem-solving, and adaptability, etc. etc.) - Finally got a job in enterprise sales that pays well and matches with my skill set. Negotiated hard on salary, got a 35% hike! - It’s a startup, so hierarchy is flat, I don’t feel like a cog in the machine, and no BS politics so far.